Community Notes: Feb. 5

The Garner Optimist Club will hold a barbecue sale from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 2110 Vandora Springs Road. Tickets are $8, and guests can choose from pork or chicken barbecue plates.

Paintings on display

The Africa Series, a series of paintings by Jane Lillian Vance, will be on display through the spring semester at the Frank Creech Art Gallery, 245 College Road, Smithfield. A reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8. A lecture will begin at 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.JohnstonCC.edu/PerformingArts.

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The Partnership for Children of Johnston County will hold its annual Clayton Steakhouse Fundraiser Monday, Feb. 10, at the Clayton Steakhouse, 307 E. Main St., Clayton. Seats are available at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tickets are $12 each. For tickets, call 919-202-0002 or visit the Partnership for Children Selma office at 1406-A S. Pollock St., Selma.

Tree sale

Johnston Soil & Water Conservation District will hold its annual tree sale Wednesday, Feb. 14. Seedlings sold will include Loblolly Pine, Eastern Red Cedar, Crape Myrtle, Eastern Redbud, Black Walnut, and Willow Oak. For more information or to place an order, call 919-934-7156 ext. 3.

Call for artists

The Johnston County Arts Council has issued a call for artists for the fifth Annual Johnston County Art and Food Festival, which will take place Thursday, March 6. The exhibit is open to all artists ages 18 and older who reside in N.C. For more information, visit www.JCArtsCouncil.org.

Hunter horse show

A hunter horse show will be held Feb. 15 at the Blaine-McLaughlin Stables, 1305C Lakewood Road, Four Oaks. For more information, visit www.Blaine-McLaughlin-Stables.com.

Women of the Waves meet

The Triangle Seagals, Waves National Unit #144, a group of women sea service veterans of the Navy, will meet at noon February 15, at Perkins Family Restaurant, 908 U.S. 64, Apex. Kathleen Volandt, a veteran, will speak on becoming successful after separation from military service. The Rev. Shirley King will share the story of woman veterans who have fallen through the cracks and have not achieved success. For more information, visit WomenOfTheWaves.com or call 919-303-8205.

FAFSA help at SECU

State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) locations across the state will open their doors from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 22, to provide assistance with Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms. The forms are a requirement in consideration for all federal and most state financial aid for college, including scholarships and grants. For more information, visit www.NCSECU.org.

Free tax preparation

The AARP Tax Aide program will assist taxpayers in electronically filing their federal and N.C. state tax returns from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and noon to 4 p.m. Thursdays at the Avery Street Annex, 201 Avery St., Garner. No appointments are necessary. Taxpayers and spouses, if filing jointly, must have picture IDs, and Social Security cards for themselves and all dependents. If married, both taxpayers must be present. For a refund to be credited to a checking account, they must have a blank check, not a deposit slip. Taxpayers will need records of all income and expenses.

Radon tests available

Wake County encourages residents to test their homes for radon. Radon is a natural gas that comes from the decay of uranium found in rocks, soil and building materials like concrete. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to radon is responsible for an estimated 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year.

The N.C. Radon Program is providing 200 free test kits for the County to distribute. These kits are available at the Southern Regional Center, 130 N. Judd Parkway, Fuquay-Varina. CAll 919-557-2501 for more information. Kits are also available for purchase at www.NCRadon.com.

Black History Month at GPAC

The Garner Performing Arts Center’s celebration of Black History Month will run through the month of Februrary at 742 W. Garner Road, Garner. Call 919-661-4602 for more information on any of these events.

• An exhibition about the history of the Negro Leagues will be on display throughout the month in the GPAC front lobby, and can be viewed Monday through Friday 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.

• Norm Lewis will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, in the new installment of the award-winning Broadway Voices series. Lewis has been in films, on television and Broadway, and in operas and concert halls around the country and world. He was nominated for a Tony award for his performance in Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.”

• Black History Month performances at GPAC close out Saturday, Feb. 22, with Cool John Ferguson at 7:30 p.m. Ferguson has played major blues festivals throughout the U.S. and abroad, including the Savannah Music Festival, Lincoln Center Out-Of-Doors, and more.

Black History Month at JCC

Johnston Community College will hold events throughout the month of February in honor of Black History Month. For more information on these events, call 919-464-2282 or 919-209-2539. JCC is located at 245 College Road, Smithfield.

Southeast Regional Library, 908 Seventh Ave., Garner, has an extensive list of activities for the whole family. Find a complete list of events at www.wakegov.com/libraries or call 919-662-2250.

Jan. 21 through Feb. 4: The public is invited to come in and create a Valentine for a Veteran. Completed Valentines will be delivered to the office for Veterans’ Services of Wake County.

7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6: "String Music in the Library" will give participants a chance to enjoy live string music from Emily Mabe and Jessica Taylor, cello & viola.

2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7: The February Book Bites program will discuss books featuring African-American authors which span the entire fiction genre. Attendees may enjoy a snack and are encouraged to exchange suggestions with one another and with the library staff. Registration is requested.

3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8: "Romance: There's a Book for That!" will give participants a chance to share reading suggestions about love and romance. Registration is not required for this hour-long, drop-in session.

3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 9: "African-American History: There's a Book for That!" will give participants a chance to share reading suggestions about African-American history. Registration is not required for this hour-long, drop-in session.

7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12: "Craft It!" will allow participants to turn empty mylar bags into totes using only scissors and duct tape. All materials will be provided, but participants may also bring their own bags (coffee, cookies, animal food, etc.) to recycle. Ages 16 and up. Registration is requested.

11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 15: The SAT 10-Question Challenge will offer practice sessions for the SAT. The sessions provide sample questions, offer the experience of timed testing, and give strategies to raise scores and best prepare for this important test. Registration is required for these free, 1-hour sessions.

2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16: "Find It!" will teach participants successful techniques for finding online books in a one-on-one setting. Librarians will offer suggestions for navigating the library's catalog and for placing reserves on these items.

7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 17: "Indoor Composting Made Easy" will teach two methods for odorless, year-round composting with Bianca Howard, a community education specialist with the City of Raleigh. Registration is requested.

7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19: "Meet the Artisan: Books as Art" will feature artisan bookmakers discussing their views on books as works of art and displaying their work.

6:30 p.m. Feb. 26: Introduction to Entrepreneurship will teach participants how to start and manage a new business. Registration is requested.

Food pantry

A food pantry is open from 9 a.m. to noon on the second Saturday of each month at Christ Community United Methodist Church, 1082 Amelia Church Road, Clayton. The food is free to anyone presenting an ID card. For more information, call 919-934-0213.

Parenting workshops

Partnership for Children of Johnston County offers two programs for parents with young children.

• Motheread is a 12-week self-paced program that combines the teaching of literacy skills with child development and family empowerment issues.

• The Incredible Years parent program offers weekly group sessions for 14 to 16 weeks. Participants practice skills to promote children’s academic, social and emotional skills.

For information on times and location, contact Erica Reid at 919-202-0002, ext. 258, or email ereid@pfcjc.org.

Classic Car Club meets

Memory Lane Classic Car Club meets for dinner at 6 p.m. followed by the meeting at 7 p.m. the third Monday of the month at Golden Corral, 60 Son-Lan Parkway, Garner. For more information, call 919-553-6229.

Overeaters Anonymous

An Overeaters Anonymous support group meets at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays at First Presbyterian Church at the corner of Lakeside Drive and N.C. 50 in Garner. Park in the rear of the church and look for the OA signs. Call Sherylyn at 919-779-6392 or Regina at 919-614-3425 for more information.